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Martin Wanless predicts...
Score prediction: Sunderland 1 West Ham 0
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Eliezer Mayenda
It’s come around quickly, hasn’t it! The last time we were predicting the outcome of a game at the Stadium of Light, we had no clue as to which division our next home game would take place in.
This is going to be a real benchmark as to where we really are — because the truth is that we haven’t got a clue, given the change in personnel.
The Stadium of Light should be bouncing and the Lads will be keen to get at least a point on the board. While only three of the players who started the playoff final are likely to feature from the off today, I’m going for one of them — the Big Man — to get the winner.
Heart ruling head? Absolutely. That’s what football’s all about.
Sunderland v Sporting CP - Pre-Season Friendly
Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images
‘The Champion’ Malc Dugdale predicts...
Score prediction: Sunderland 1 West Ham 0
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Simon Adingra
It feels like an age since I did my own little ‘treble’ — securing the 2024/202525 Roker Report predictions title, seeing my team win promotion to the Premier League at Wembley with my son and uncle, and sharing my freshly-poured Guinness with Trai Hume after the game.
But, here we are: back in the top tier and taking on the Hammers! I’m almost pinching myself.
Today, I would happily accept a point along with some evidence that the Lads are starting to gel. The signings have all been amazing but this simply has to impact the cohesion we saw get us past the Blades back in May, so a draw and ninety minutes to develop the relationships and the team spirit will do me fine.
I fancy Adingra to relish his chance to shine in a league where he hasn’t really kicked on as some expected, so I’m backing him for our first and hopefully the only goal of the game.
A full house, in the best league in the world, with a club who’ve shown their ambition and drive all summer. Let’s have it!
Sunderland Unveil New Signing Simon Adingra
Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images
Jack Howe-Gingell predicts...
Score prediction: Sunderland 2 West Ham 1
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Simon Adingra
It’s amazing to be back.
I’ve been replaying the playoff final both physically and mentally since it happened, and counting down the days to our return to big time football.
This feels like a great first test: an established Premier League team, but also a team in transition. It should give us a decent idea of how ready we are for the huge challenge that awaits.
The main man for West Ham is clearly Jarrod Bowen, topping everything notable for them last season and is likely to be their focal point. Losing Mohammed Kudus was a blow, even though he wasn’t as effective last season.
The talk from their supporters is that they look lightweight in midfield and have yet to solve their issue of a striker — something former Newcastle sicknote Callum Wilson is unlikely to solve.
This is a perfect opportunity to get off and running: against an ageing side in need of an influx of new players which has yet to really happen, against our boisterous youngsters led by the imperious Granit Xhaka.
Make no bones about it: there are no easy games at this level but a roaring home crowd plus a willingness to succeed will get us over the line.
ROMFORD, ENGLAND - AUGUST 02: West Ham United unveil new signing Callum Wilson at Rush Green on August 02, 2025 in Romford, England. (Photo by West Ham United FC/West Ham United FC via Getty Images)
ROMFORD, ENGLAND - AUGUST 02: West Ham United unveil new signing Callum Wilson at Rush Green on August 02, 2025 in Romford, England. (Photo by West Ham United FC/West Ham United FC via Getty Images)
Will Jones predicts...
Score prediction: Sunderland 2 West Ham 1
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Dan Ballard
It feels like we blinked and suddenly Premier League football is back at the Stadium of Light. The roar of the crowd, the fresh kits, that unmistakable buzz…nothing quite matches it.
After years of wondering if we’d ever get here again, this home clash with West Ham is our reality check and the Lads will be itching to prove we belong among the big boys.
West Ham arrive with a point to prove themselves, but they’ve lost a touch of guile with Kudus departing and looked vulnerable at the back in pre-season, so I’m banking on one of our stalwarts from the Wembley run to step up.
Dan Ballard has shown a knack for popping up in the right place at the right time, and I can see him thumping in a corner early on. We’ll grab a second through one of the new boys by getting in behind, then hang on as they press late.
A nervy finish, but a sweet first taste of Premier League victory.
AFC Sunderland v Coventry City - Sky Bet Championship Play-Off Semi Final Second Leg
Photo by George Wood/Getty Images
Matty Foster predicts...
Score prediction: Sunderland 1 West Ham 1
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Granit Xhaka
When I first started doing these predictions, we kicked off our third League One season against Bristol Rovers, and here we sit, five years later, predicting our first Premier League game in eight long years.
No need to pinch yourself, lads, this is real!
Our first few games present a huge opportunity to get some points on the board and give ourselves a real shot in the arm — and we’d all snap the hands off anyone offering a scrappy 1-0 win courtesy of a deflection off the backside of a West Ham defender.
But, truth be told, I’d settle for a score draw to get our first point on the board, and I can’t back anyone other than captain Xhaka rattling in a scorcher to open our account!
SUNDERLAND, ENGLAND - AUGUST 13: Granit Xhaka poses for pictures after being announced as Sunderland club captain at The Academy of Light on August 13, 2025 in Sunderland, England. (Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images)
SUNDERLAND, ENGLAND - AUGUST 13: Granit Xhaka poses for pictures after being announced as Sunderland club captain at The Academy of Light on August 13, 2025 in Sunderland, England. (Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images)
Sunderland AFC via Getty Images
Anthony Gair predicts...
Score prediction: Sunderland 3 West Ham 1
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Habib Diarra
Well, this is my first go at this, so bear with me if I sound absolutely mental…
Yes, I know: the chances of this result are significantly low but trust me: we’re going to be absolutely fine. I can hear you all say “Did you see us in pre-season?” and to that I say “ Yes. And I’m not arsed about friendlies”.
Last season, this side showed their capabilities when the games were important, and you’ll see the same against the Hammers this weekend!
First scorer is the one I struggle with, as the starting eleven could be one of a billion combinations, but I’m going to go with Habib Diarra.
Do you have any logic behind this choice, Gair?
No. No I don’t, and for that, I apologise.
I cannot wait. It’s the first time in about twenty years I’ve felt like this about football, and when Saturday comes, I’ll be reaping my rewards!
AUGSBURG, GERMANY - AUGUST 09: Habib Diarra of Sunderland (R) celebrates the goal with Simon Adingra of Sunderland (L) and Granit Xhaka of Sunderland (C) during the pre-season friendly match between Augsburg and Sunderland at WWK ARENA on August 09, 2025 in Augsburg, Germany. (Photo by Daniela Porcelli/Sunderland AFC/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images)
AUGSBURG, GERMANY - AUGUST 09: Habib Diarra of Sunderland (R) celebrates the goal with Simon Adingra of Sunderland (L) and Granit Xhaka of Sunderland (C) during the pre-season friendly match between Augsburg and Sunderland at WWK ARENA on August 09, 2025 in Augsburg, Germany. (Photo by Daniela Porcelli/Sunderland AFC/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images)
Sunderland AFC via Getty Images
Gary Winter predicts...
Score prediction: Sunderland 1 West Ham 1
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Eliezer Mayenda
And FINALLY…here we are!!
It’s been the most incredible summer of excitement and spending that I frankly didn’t see coming. It’s also been completely surreal, given what the past eight years have looked like.
A home game against a team who had a difficult season is the ideal fixture for our long-awaited return to the Premier League. West Ham also lost a top player in Kudus last month, but I’m intrigued as to how we measure up right now against one of the poorer teams in the division.
My gut says it’ll be quite an eye-opener in terms of quality of opposition compared to last year, and I genuinely have no idea how our new signings will fare, as I place very little weight on pre-season friendlies. My main hope is that fans stay patient, get behind the Lads and keep the momentum and feel-good factor going!
He’s had a tough pre-season and missed a few chances, so it only makes sense for Mayenda to score today on his Premier League debut, ensuring we get at least a point!
SUNDERLAND, ENGLAND - AUGUST 2: Eliezer Mayenda of Sunderland runs with the ball during the pre-season friendly match between Sunderland and Real Betis at Stadium of Light on August 2, 2025 in Sunderland, England. (Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images)
SUNDERLAND, ENGLAND - AUGUST 2: Eliezer Mayenda of Sunderland runs with the ball during the pre-season friendly match between Sunderland and Real Betis at Stadium of Light on August 2, 2025 in Sunderland, England. (Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images)
Sunderland AFC via Getty Images
Brett Lyons-Davis predicts...
Score prediction: Sunderland 3 WestHam 0
Sunderland’s first goalscorer: Dan Ballard
Well, after that wonderful day at Wembley and a summer of “Here we go”, a new-look side is most likely to take to the field for our first Premier League game in many years.
To be fair, when the fixtures were released, I think a lot of supporters were more than happy to get things going against a team like West Ham — one that gives us an excellent opportunity to get some early points on the board.
Despite the new signings, I can see one of our playoff heroes getting his head on another corner to open the scoring, as Big Dan Ballard gets us on our way for a very happy afternoon at the Stadium of Light.
Coventry City v AFC Sunderland - Sky Bet Championship Play-Off Semi Final First Leg
Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images
Last time out…
Thousands of Mackems made lifelong memories the last time I drafted this item for Roker Report, and I did too.
It was a game that had it all: great saves, an early goals to put us behind, VAR, tactical battles, grit and determination to get back into the game, and then sheer will and bloody-mindedness to win a game worth over £200 million.
What a game, what an win, and what a weekend.
Afterwards, we saw more bitter opposition coaches crying into their beer while the Lads and the fans partied into the night.
F*ck em all. We did the job and deserved what we earned.
P.S: Good luck for the season to come, Tommy lad. You’re officially forgiven forever.
Sheffield United v Sunderland - Sky Bet Championship Play-Off Final
Photo by Alex Dodd - CameraSport via Getty Images
Last game predictions
It surprised me when I went back to the last predictions item and saw how many of our lads did so well.
No less than four of them backed us to win 2-1, getting at least three points for a perfect score prediction in the process. I’m not sure, but that may be the best overall points haul of the season.
Today is the start of a new dawn for the club and its followers as a whole, as we have to hope that result back in May was the end of a sad and long spell out of the top league for Sunderland.
Today is the beginning of something special. We can all feel it in our bones.
Sheffield United v Sunderland - Sky Bet Championship Play-Off Final
Photo by Alex Dodd - CameraSport via Getty Images
Last season’s final standings
Malc was one of the lads who predicted the 2-1 win, and he also predicted that Eliezer ‘Oi! Big Man’ Mayenda would get our first goal, as did Matty F and Brett (who we’ll come back to later). I wish we had all put a tenner on that. The weekend would have been even harder to recall.
That prediction was enough to give the 2024/2025 title of Roker Report Predictions Champion to the East Midlands Exile, Malc Dugdale.
Will and Jack shared the podium with Malc, with an honourable 41 points each.
Brett also predicted the outcome to perfection, and with that lifted himself off the foot of the table at the last gasp, slotting his second-to-last position into the bottom corner like the cultured boot of our Tommy. In doing so, he cast Martin into the chasm of wooden spoons — a significant fall from grace after Martin started last season as the champion from the season before last.
The competition starts all over again today though, and with the turnover of players and the challenge from the opposition being a whole new level, the right to have ‘champion’ ahead of your name in these articles starts again from zero for us all, and will be a whole new kettle of fish, as they say.
As we start the new season, we wish our mate Bomber well with other articles and his slot on the podcasts. In his place, we welcome a much better looking Anthony ‘Grafter’ Gair into the fray, and the all-new big man will more than fill the empty boots, of that we are sure.
Welcome Gair, and all the best, Bomber!
How the points are awarded
Just a quick reminder of how we allocate points to our match-by-match predictions:
Correct score = Three points
Correct outcome (but not correct score) = One point
Correct first Sunderland goalscorer = One point (no goalscorer is a valid call)
Possible deductions for being lazy and not submitting on time = a two point deduction.